


Rot

by immaletyoufinish



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: For the first two chapters - Freeform, Introspection, Minor Character Death, then there be a story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:13:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28934598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/immaletyoufinish/pseuds/immaletyoufinish
Summary: The temple smells like rot
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

The temple smells like rot.

When you first sniff the air it smells of cool old stone and fresh air. It's designed in a way so that fresh air permeates every room, fresh air from the gardens. 

However underneath that there's another smell, sickly sweet but hard to notice. 

The temple is filled with rot.

Deep down the temple has hidden rooms, places where no one goes. These rooms are filled with wood and other substances. 

The temple is built of stone and metal but even so, there's something wrong. The walls are filled with secrets, awful secrets. Whispers and words throughout the years.

The Jedi have grown old, separate to the rest of the galaxy. For a people who preach peace and harmony, there's not much of that about. The younglings are still people and bullying is not uncommon. The masters overlook things and they don't do much good. They are old and stupid, there wisdom is shallow. The way they teach is bound to bring frustration.

Some of the Jedi can sense it, smell the rot and see the blackness in the corners. They can feel the shadow looming, choking everything. These Jedi don't spend much time in the core worlds.

In the end, the only way to truly remove rot is to burn the afliccted building to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

The senate smells of rot.

Corruption and greed.

Taking bribes and running underground rings.

The senate guards are no better, they simply run in lower circles like rats in the gutter.

The senators have great evil among them. 

Some embrace it others are assassinated. There is no room for weakness here.

Murder and rot.

the rot in the senate is black and slimy, very hard to shift. You may remove it from the surface but it's ingrained within the walls. 


	3. Coruscant smells of rot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jedi shadow Aven Ash peered into the alleyway.  
> There was a body in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If justice cannot be done in the light then crimes will be done in the darkness

Jedi shadow Aven Ash was tired. They had been knighted only recently and they were now allowed to go on missions alone. Jedi shadows had the most dangerous jobs, that was why they mostly worked in pairs. Aven preferred to work alone, however; they couldn't stand to be around other Jedi especially here on coruscant.

Even as a child Aven had hated being in the temple. The smell made them feel sick and lightheaded. What's more, none of the others could smell it. Aven didn't understand why the others adored the temple, or why they claimed it had a calm to it. Aven was an Elomin, the only one in the order in fact. the last had died more than ten years ago. They had shorter tusks than most of their kind and were often mistaken for a youngling because of this. Aven had only met a few so they wondered if that was merely the confusion of a few or the society as a whole. They had researched their kind but the temple archives were incomplete on the matter.

Aven glanced around from their seat at a bar known as The Drunken Rancor to its patrons. It was on level 900 of Coruscant. It smelled here too of course, but the horrible stench that permeated the temple was overrun by the smells of dirt, poverty, and death. 

With a sigh, the Jedi stood and walked away after paying for the drinks. Their eye was caught by something in the shadows of an alleyway. It was hard to discern in the poor lighting but it looked like... A body.

Moving with caution, Aven approached the dying man. It belonged to a clone trooper, coruscant guard it appeared.

The clone's expression was one of pain, the head had been bashed in and brains were leaking out. Despite this, the clone wasn't dead. Aven could feel the pain radiating from them, the fear. Its eyes were afraid and the only reason Aven believed that they were not dead had they not been able to feel them. The clone watched their approach and closed their eyes, Aven knelt down by their side and reached out to touch them. The clone would have flinched but they were too weak. They would not survive. Once they realized that Aven would not hurt them the clone leaned into the touch. They reached towards Aven with their remaining arm and Aven took the hand, holding it close. "It will be an alright trooper," they whispered. Aven felt the grip loosen and the clone went still.

Aven felt sick. The body showed signs of trauma; lacerations on the back, half the armor was missing, and on one leg the plastoid had been melted into the skin. They stood up shaking slightly, they would have to return the body to the rest. Aven picked up the body in their arms and felt a shock at how light they were. Clearly, the clone had not eaten for more than a week. Aven set off, keeping to the shadows, and climbed the levels of coruscant.

* * *

The officer on duty in the coruscant guard offices jumped to his feet in horror. Aven stumbled over and placed the body on the desk. "I'm sorry," they whispered hoarsely to the clone, "I'm sorry there was nothing I could do."

The clone's eyes softened and he sighed, "It's alright, you brought him back to us. there was nothing more to be done." Aven bowed their head solemnly, the clone sighed again, "commander Thire is not going to be happy." 

"Will there be an investigation?" Aven asked softly. 

The clone trooper scoffed, somewhat bitterly, "An investigation? For a clone? Nah, the most we can do is hope that they turn themselves in, even then they would only be charged with _property damage_." 

Aven reeled back in horror _they couldn't do anything_ , "This trooper has clearly be tortured and brutally murdered," they said icily, fighting to keep their emotions in check. "and you tell me that there _isn't going to be an investigation_?" 

The clone flinched back slightly and Aven tried to calm down for his sake, but the rage still burned at them. "I apologize I lost control," they said stiffly.

He shook his head, "it's fine."

"Thank you," he added as Aven headed towards the door, "for returning him to us." 

"It was the least I could do," even replied as they walked out the door, the last they saw of the dead clone and the living one was him hunched over the body, as the door closed behind them. 


End file.
